Discovery held a livechat interview with Josh Harris of the F/V Cornelia Marie a few weeks ago and Josh shared some of his thoughts on ‘Deadliest Catch’, fishing, and his dad–Capt Phil! It’s not exactly a new chat, but it’s new for Deadliest Reports!

Josh Harris: What up?

Susan: Hi Josh thanks for being here tonight..you take care of your Dad…he’s a special guy…how is he doing? How long before King Crab season do you have to be back in Dutch to get the boat ready? May full pots and calm seas always be with you. Good luck next season. My love to Capt. Phil, I adore you all.
Josh Harris: King Crab season will be starting at the end of September. The old man has high spirits right now.

Cajun girl: Hi Josh! Love you guys! Do you think if Murray would have told you guys about your dad spitting blood sooner would the outcome be different?
Josh Harris: No, the outcome wouldn’t have been different. The old man didn’t want to go in regardless of his condition.

Sarah Harris: Hey Josh. I could barely watch this last episode of Deadliest Catch tonight where your dad got seriously hurt. I was literally covering my eyes but peering through my fingers and tears were streaming down my face. What was the first thought you had when you saw your dad with broken ribs and unable to breathe when had fallen out of his bunk?
Josh Harris: My first thought? “Oh s**t he’s hurt!” And then just hoping that everything gets better. It’s just one of those moments…It was wild.

Kat: How do you deal with your dad and brother on a daily basis?
Josh Harris: Loud voices and a lot of hugs. And a lot of joking around. My dad’s got a mullet, so that says a lot. And then there’s Jake, he’s a jokester like I am. You’ve got to have a sense of humor.

Cornelia Stephanie: Hey Josh! I think you’re awesome, I love how you always help your dad. The CM needs a nurse like me! haha. What’s your favorite and least favorite part about going out to the Bering sea?
Josh Harris: My favorite part’s working with my family. My least favorite part is dumping the s**t tank. It’s at the bottom of the boat and it just sucks to be at the bottom of the boat when it’s rolling around.

aed2952: First off, great show. My question is, do you plan on being a captain some day and how would you do things differently?
Josh Harris: You know, every deckhand wants to be a captain one day. I don’t think I’d run things any different. I’d try to run them the same as the old man does.

Vickie: I know you fish for about 6 months out of the year but what do you do with the other 6 months? Do you have another job or is that just your downtime to relax before you go back to the Bering sea?
Josh Harris: Actually, I fish about 10 months out of the year. When I’m home, I just try to spend time with my friends and family. Get that R&R in, because you know it’s a long year coming.

Tonya: Hey Josh love ya on the show! So I was just watching After the Catch and it was mentioned that if you get technical that Jake is your boss on deck…what’s it like having your younger brother your boss??
Josh Harris: It’s interesting. I’ve been fishing longer than he has. We don’t always see eye to eye, but I love the kid. So we work it out in the end.

Katie: Do you think it is easier or harder to work on a boat with your father as the captain?
Josh Harris: It’s got its pros and its cons. At the end of the day, I like working with my father. I’m lucky enough to be able to say that.

Time Bandit fan: Josh, do you and your brother talk to each other during the off season?
Josh Harris: Yeah. We talk all of the time. We’re live close, and I can hit his window with a rock from my front porch. We’re close.

Megs: If you could take a trip anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
Josh Harris: It’s kind of a tie between Australia and Russia. Why? It just seems like a cool kind of place.

Paul: What’s it like to rule all in the Deadliest catch game?
Josh Harris: It’s bad ass!

Bencha68: I notice that superstition plays a big role when fishing in the Bering Sea. What effect does superstition have on the crew of the Cornelia Marie?
Josh Harris: Well, I’ll tell you right now, it definitely plays a big role. It can definitely put guys in a good or bad way. There definitely has to be an excuse for bad juju. It doesn’t happen very often from the fishing end, but as far as the engine breaking down or something.

Wiz Rebecca: Hello Josh, what kind of prior life experiences prepared you for crab fishing on the Bering Sea and with your father…do you heed any sage advice that your father gives you?
Josh Harris: The experience? Just living with the old man. You just got to give 110 percent, whatever you do – whether it’s eating breakfast, hauling gear, or whatever. You always gotta give a 110 percent.

therod: What kind of music do you and the rest of the crew like?
Josh Harris: Everything but country. Usually listen to hard rock, some rap. When the old man is around he doesn’t like that stuff. He’s got the mullet so he’s got to have the ’80s thing going. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come up to Journey, he’s wailing away, the hair flying. I can tell you what, I can go without hearing Pink Floyd for the rest of my life. Between that and INXS

MadiB: Do you think you take on more family responsibilities than Jake, like as far as taking care of your dad and your health…?
Josh Harris: Yeah, I’m a little bit older than Jake. When I was his age, my mind was stuck on women, money, partying, things like that. You start to get older and you start to realize that your old man isn’t Superman anymore. Family’s all you got in life. Take care of everybody and make sure everybody’s good. It kind of sucks when you get older, you get rational and stuff! It was so much easier.

pinky: Josh, what is your favorite meal to eat on the boat and at home?
Josh Harris: I’d have to say a good plate of spaghetti. If anybody says different, they’re full of it. S’ghetti is great, you can wake up in the morning with a hangover and have a huge plate of it. It’s a great meal. It’s easy to make!

Johnny Rockwell: How many packs of smokes do you bring on a trip?
Josh Harris: I get a case and in a case is 30 cartons, so about 300 packs over the course of roughly 3 to 4-1/2 months. You can do the math from there.

Time Bandit fan: Josh how long does it take to tape “After the Catch”?
Josh Harris: It took like about 4 or 5 days. 4 or 5 days and many pitchers of beer.

Megs: I like to think I am a pretty tough cookie but I have to admit that after watching the show there is no way I would ever set foot on a crab boat! LOL! What has been your scariest moment while out at sea?

Josh Harris. (Photo courtesy of Discovery)

Josh Harris: Watching someone close to you slowly start to die. Painfully, too. It’s definitely the scariest thing I’ve seen. The guy you always thought was Superman coughing, puking up blood trying to tell you he’s fine, there’s nothing wrong. It was scary. It made me realize, hey that’s my dad, he’s not 40 anymore. He’s 50+. I have to start watching out for him. The mullet won’t save him anymore!

oddish1234: Do you like pranking other boats and what is your favorite prank?
Josh Harris: As for the favorite prank, I haven’t done it yet so I can’t tell you. It’s top secret. Do I like pranking other boats? You better believe it. You’ll know when you see my favorite prank, though, but it will be up and coming. Someone’s going to be pissed – in good humor that is.

fashion platter: I saw somebody on the street the other day in a Cornelia Marie t-shirt, and he wouldn’t tell me where he got it. Do you have a store?
Josh Harris: As a matter of fact, you can go to http://www.captainphilharris.com and there’s a couple articles of clothes there now. I’ve got my own Master Baiter line coming out.

FVCM rocksmyworld: Hi Josh! My twin sister and I love the new Phil Harris clothing that was added. We have a bet going about who came up with the “Phil Harris” thong, you or Jake!
Josh Harris: Actually, I have to give the credit to the old man. The thong thing wasn’t really my forte. I like my own little style, and that will be popping up soon. My greenhorn store and my Master Baiter line. The thong was too much for me. My old man is a salty old seadog.

wrj: Have you ever received a serious injury on the boat?
Josh Harris: You better believe it. I just about had my insides sucked out of my shoulder blade by a big assed generator. Really big! It was so hard core it sucked me off the ground and started sucking at my shoulder. They said another 10-15 seconds it would have sucked my shoulder out. This season I broke some ribs and thought it was just normal aches and pains. It wasn’t and it healed wrong, hurting my back and stuff.

I Love The Harris Boys: Besides your dad, who’s your fave captain?
Josh Harris: I love all those guys. They’ve all got personal things. There’s certain things I like everybody for. They look out for us all, like a big really, REALLY dysfunctional family. The hard core captains have mullets. Then there’s Andy, he’s one of the smartest out there I’ve met. And really down to earth. He doesn’t have a mullet though. Dealing with all those guys is great and I love dealing with them all.

Bandita Erin: Josh, we saw where your father, Jake and yourself visited the Deadliest Catch Classroom in Las Vegas. How was that experience from your perspective. Thanks for joining us.
Josh Harris: I thought it was really cool. I really educated the kids on getting a college degree. Being able to be a role model is definitely cool. Who would have thought guys who were in the middle of nowhere where no one wants to be would be a role model. But it was a good experience for me and my family.

jandy: Hi Josh…I can’t get enough of the DC and the guys. You are ALL REAL men in the job that you. When did you start crabbing? And do you remember the trip? Stay safe on the BS. Jandy
Josh Harris: I started crabbing when I was 18. My first trip was the scariest of my life, besides this one we just had. We had terrible weather and I never knew to change so I was soaking wet the entire time. So it was dirty and all the guys hated me because I was the captain’s kid. I thought at that time that I’d never go back crabbing again. But it all changed when I got the phone call from pop asking me to do a real man’s job. So I had to prove I could cut it.

FVCM rocksmyworld: Hi Josh! My twin sister and I were curious to know if you couldn’t work on the Cornelia Marie under your father, whose boat would you work on?
Josh Harris: I think I would work on Princess Cruise Lines probably! I love fishing and stuff. That’s a tough question, so I really can’t answer that. I think the next job I took on the ocean would be for a cruise line or something like that.

Celeste: Hey Josh! I’m majoring in Meteorology so I love the weather. The weather on Deadliest Catch is so interesting, well from my point of view anyway. I was wondering what was one of the most intense weather encounters you’ve had while on the boat? Good Luck. Fis
Josh Harris: 120+ winds the day my dad got injured and 50′ waves. It scared me! It’s funny to see the sea gulls trying to keep up with the boat. Then they get blown back by the waves when they hit the tops of them.

smiley16: What was the biggest crab you have seen?
Josh Harris: Like a 16 pound crab, about 6-1/2′ long. It had bigger arms than me, I felt like I needed to go to a weight room.

MelissaJ: Hi Josh, first let me say…YOU GO BOY!! You guys have a dangerous job and kudos to you 4 doing it. My question is, out of all of this new “fame” what’s the good/bad about all the attention? Good luck I hope you read this.
Josh Harris: The good is to educate children on why they need to stay in school. The bad is, I don’t know, you have to deal with a lot of people and questions. You don’t really get paid for it. They found a bomb in my yard a couple of weeks ago. People want to hurt you and you have to deal with a lot of issues that we normally wouldn’t have to deal with.

Groovee74: Josh, do you think you and Jake will run the boat like the Hillstrand Bros. or more like the Northwestern? If like the NW, who would be captain?
Josh Harris: That’s a tough one. Jake has running first because he’s been on the boat longest. We’d probably work it like the Hillstrand Bros, we’d both probably share the responsibility

h__h: How do you count the crabs so fast and how accurate is the count?
Josh Harris: The count is very accurate. It’s just like whatever you do, something you do at your job day to day that other people wonder how you do it so fast. We just count ’em. That’s our job.

Groovee74: Who is more like Dad, you or Jake?
Josh Harris: Right now, me. Jake’s following the same footsteps I’ve followed for some time. I’m getting older, interests change.

Blue Fox: After seeing After the Catch tonight I’m a little baffled about the obsession with the mullet. I almost grew one not too long ago but backed out at the last minute. What’s the big deal with the mullet, anyway? Is it some sort sea-faring tradition or something?
Josh Harris: You know, it’s called being stuck in the 80s The mullet really isn’t that cool. Some people love the mullet and some people can pull it off. I think it’s a biker thing, but I can’t speak for Sig, I don’t think he has a bike. It might be a Norwegian thing. It’s a fascination thing maybe. So vive la mullet.

Debbie: Are you and your brother going to quit smoking after seeing what’s going on with your Dad?
Josh Harris: Yeah, I want to quit smoking, don’t have any plan on it yet but it’s coming soon.

Tab in FL: It’s great that you guys get to work together and have such a great relationship, but how hard is it to be away from the rest of your family and friends while your at sea for so long?
Josh Harris: It’s hard, it’s really difficult. You’re trying not to feel like you’ve abandoned them. Then you come home and you want to spend time with everybody. Mom doesn’t like it. It’s a totally different lifestyle, an acquired taste.

Andy: What hobbies do you enjoy?
Josh Harris: I enjoy building cars, import cars, listening to music, outdoors stuff.

k5123: Hey Josh! You talk about how kids should stay in school. Did your father push you to go to school or was he okay with you guys coming to fish?
Josh Harris: Born, bred, and corn fed fisherman here. I didn’t even graduate school, I got my good enough diploma. I quit early so I could go fishing. Most people would call me a failure, I just call it a life-long lesson. Stay in school!

Groovee74: Are you the only boys in your family?
Josh Harris: I have an older brother. He does not fish. He went fishing once and realized real quick he hated it. Then I have 5 sisters.

dwn by the bay: Hi Josh! Do you ever watch the show when you’re not on the boat? What do you think of it?
Josh Harris: I watch it when I can because I never know what’s going to be on. What do I think of it? I think, man, I should have gotten an education.

Terri: Where did the name of the boat come from?
Josh Harris: It came from the previous owner’s wife. Awesome lady, she still owns part of the boat. Cornelia Marie Collins.

redneck4real: Josh, We’ve watched you come onto your dad’s boat as somewhat of a wise ass who spends dad’s money. We now see a caring, mature, hard-working but still fun-loving fine young man. Do you think you’ve changed much since you got onto the Cornelia Marie?
Josh Harris: I’ve gotten a better relationship with my father after not being able to spend a lot of time with him growing up. Definitely different there. But it’s still the same old me.

Miss Brei: How exactly does Jake get away with buying all of that stuff without getting his hide tanned?
Josh Harris: That’s a good question! Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for that one. Your guess is as good as mine.

rose2008: Have you made any splurges with your crab money?
Josh Harris: Yup. The high performance vehicle. I have to fill it with Premium.

Dawn: Josh, do think your dad has broken the record for the amount of Red Bull in one week?
Josh Harris: I would say yeah, I think he might be reigning champion of Red Bull. He’s got a new energizing drink that he seems to get more pumped up with. So God help us all. I tell you, that mullet flares like never before. It’s potent. It’s called Wired. It’s healthier for him, so he decided to switch.

rose2008: Is it hard having a relationship while fishing 10 months out of the year?
Josh Harris: You better believe it. Yes, it’s difficult.

GP Harker FL: Do you have any comfort items you bring along when out at sea?
Josh Harris: Random pictures of home, that’s about as comforting as you can get.

Farzaana: Hey Josh, what goes through your mind while you are out crab fishing in those deadly seas?
Josh Harris: I’m going to get home soon to drive my car, go cruising by the beach, hang out with the old lady, camping, just how much fun I’ll have. Things like that, or you start to go crazy

ms jkitty: How do you guys manage to stay awake for such long periods of time?
Josh Harris: Energy drinks and coffee, the occasional smoke. A lot of hugs, too, high fives, “good games”, slaps on the ass, etc.

Victoria: How connected are you to your family via the Internet or telephone while out at sea?
Josh Harris: Very connected. Connected as we can be, they get a phone call a week.

no sleep in NC: We never miss an episode but my husband and I were discussing tonight how much we would like to hear some more of the conversations you guys have, the things you all say. They bleep so much it feels like nothing is left! How would you feel about using less four letter words, seriously, just for the sake of TV?
Josh Harris: If we had a wider range vocabulary we probably would. Unfortunately, a fisherman’s dictionary is only about three pages long and those are big font words because most of the guys have to squint to read. Our vocabularies aren’t very extensive. We should have fisherman’s word of the week!

forever urs18: if you could name your own boat what would you name it?
Josh Harris: I don’t know, that’s a tough one. If the time ever comes then I’ll put thought into it. Ding and Dong maybe, for a little kick!

Dawn: What are you and the crew doing right this moment?
Josh Harris: Well, currently, I’m sitting on my butt at home taking some R&R. My brother, the workaholic that he is, is fishing. My dad’s at home. Everybody’s at home except my brother.

Time Bandit Angel: What does it take to be a successful greenhorn? Is it more important to be strong physically or mentally?
Josh Harris: That’s a very good question I would have to say, a combination of both but at the end more of a mental game. You have to have heart, want to be there and want to do good. If you give 110 percent. No one can take that away from you and everyone will see it.

Kathrine: What is your ultimate dream car and why?
Josh Harris: I like this question! My ultimate dream car would be a Nissan Skyline R-34. Because it is so incredibly fast and sweet looking. That would be a blast to drive, but you can’t get them in the US anymore and it’s a little out of my price range.

angel kisses: The captains get together before going out, do you and Jake have friends on other boats you hang out with as well?
Josh Harris: You better believe it! It’s called a fishing community for a reason. We’ve all got our favorites.

Deej: What kinda sports do you play/watch?
Josh Harris: I go-cart race, I like that. I play pool. I’m a fisherman, that is my sport. When I come home, I typically try to do nothing physical, nothing at all. I have a problem getting off the couch. I don’t really watch sports. I have football player buddies, I’ll watch their games. There are a couple of UFC fighters that are cool, I’ll watch that. I’m a NASCAR fan, we’re Tony Stewart fans. Jason Shapiro came on our boat; he’s Tony Stewart’s right hand man in the pits. He’d been watching the show so much he wanted to do it. He’d never been out there, came out for a week, did every job on the boat and did a darned good job. I’d never seen that, I swear he was a fisherman before.

Groovee74: What is your drink of choice?
Josh Harris: It depends. If I’m drinking casually, it’s Captain & Coke because you and the Captain can make it happen. If I’m drinking for energy, 505 Wired and some flavored vodka will send you to the moon. It’s intense, it’d wake you up from death.

Deej: What is the first thing you do when you get back to dry land?
Josh Harris: We go meet up with friends and just hang out.

anon: How do you handle the cold???
Josh Harris: Just move fast. Move fast you stay warm. Don’t move fast you freeze.

Andy: We have seen some of your dad’s tats, do you have any? And if so, of what?
Josh Harris: Yes, I have tattoos. I have a bar code on my arm. I have multi kanji Japanese writings on my upper arms. I have an eye of Ra on my back, always watch my back. The rest of my back is done in tribal. I have a black light tattoo on my arm, it is of my actual skeletal structure from my elbow to my fingertips. It’s impressive, and it was very painful.

altrangel: Do any of you have any kind of medical training and what kind of supplies do you keep on hand for those situations?
Josh Harris: As for the actual medical training, I know I did some stuff with the fire department, so learned stuff there. Medical supplies? We’ve got some stuff on the boat but it’s pretty limited.

Discovery: Josh, thank you very much for being here for tonight’s chat! Our time is about up, but is there anything you’d like to add before we have to close?
Josh Harris: I’d just like to say thank you for all the support from all the fans, the loyal Cornelia Marie fans. The outpouring of support for my dad is appreciated. Keep him in your prayers, he’s still going through a rough time. We’re glad you enjoy the show. If you have any questions, you can check out the Wiki site or go to MySpace. I’ll do my best to answer you. I hope you enjoy the show

hey josh, im a really big fan of the show and love the CM. you and your brother are one of my favourate people on the show, when you found out what had really happened to your father, what was the first thoughts?